2018 RECIPE THIRTY: Friday October 12 - lentil rice khichdi

BACK STORY:
Saw this on the NYT site and thought it would be perfect for camping! Notes - it was not.

NOTES:
I first made this camping, then a second time at home. Both times it underwhelmed - the lentils either didn't cook properly or cooked for too long. The broth was too turmericky and dry, and didn't seem to soak into the lentil well. Blending it with plain yogurt to make a sour cream made it more palatable but it still wasn't great. I won't make it again. Shame to be a bust on a cold camping day!

STARS: 
1 out of 5. It just wasn't delicious. 

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019202-lentil-rice-khichdi

INGREDIENTS

• ⅔ cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine
• ⅓ cup yellow split moong beans
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon red chile powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

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  Nutritional Information

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PREPARATION

1. Combine the rice and moong and rinse several times, until the water that drains away runs almost totally clear. Add to a heavy-bottomed pot with 1 3/4 cups water and set over medium-high heat.
2. In another small saucepan, heat the ghee and mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, lower the heat and add the remaining ingredients, swirling them in the pan. Let the spices sizzle for under a minute, then carefully pour into the rice pot, along with the ghee. (Watch out: The fat may splatter).
3. When the water comes up to a rolling boil, give it a good stir, scraping at the bottom of the pot, then cover tightly and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes before opening the lid. Fluff gently with a spatula. Taste, season with salt to taste and serve.

2018 RECIPE TWENTY NINE: Sunday October 7 - Linda Lee's Apple Crisp

BACK STORY:
I made this for Carrie and Jeff, purely based on the ingredients I had at home.

NOTES:
I love this recipe, but I always double the crisp part. I add way more oats and sugar to make the crisp the centerpiece, with the melty warm apples secondary. Halve the apples or double the crisp ingredients for the right blend. And knead with the fingers to get a good mix. 

STARS: 
5 out of 5, obviously.

RECIPE:
5 cup apples, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp water
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 c rolled oats
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c butter

Preheat oven to 375. Put apples in 8" square pan and sprinkle with lemon juice and water. Combine brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, and cinnamon. Using the pastry blender, cut-in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Bake 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Enjoy!

2018 RECIPE TWENTY EIGHT: Sunday August 26 - pomegranate and tomato salad

BACK STORY:
I saw this on NYT and made plans to make it because it calls for za'tar spice, which I bought in Jordan and haven't had a chance to use yet!

NOTES:
I bought the pomegranate seeds specially for this recipe, but I think it would still be good in the winter when tomatoes aren't ripe but pomegranates are fresh for the taking. I made this for Sierra and Andy, but forgot to bring the za'atar so I missed that flavor. It was quick and easy to cook and the recipe was very fresh tasting. Be lighter on the red onion as it overwhelms the other flavors. I think you could add more light flavored veggies - cucumber, more bell peppers - to make this heartier.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy and quick to make and the ingredients aren't too complicated. And then I can use my za'atar!

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018121-tomato-and-pomegranate-salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pints mixed small or cherry tomatoes, of varying colors
• 2 teaspoons za’atar
• 3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  Seeds from 1 pomegranate
• ½ yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and very thinly sliced
• ½ small red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  Flaky sea salt
• 3 ½ ounces manouri or feta cheese, broken into small chunks

PREPARATION

1. Halve or quarter the tomatoes so that they are all roughly the same size, and place them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix the za’atar with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside.
3. To the bowl with tomatoes, add the pomegranate seeds, sliced pepper and onion, the herbs, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Gently mix the salad, then transfer it to a large shallow bowl or serving platter, and dot it with the cheese. Drizzle the za’atar mixture over the salad and serve.

2018 RECIPE TWENTY SEVEN: Saturday August 25 - herb and radish salad

BACK STORY:
This was in the New York Times cooking again and I made it...again. It was absolutely delicious and familiar, and I realized I made it as Recipe Fifteen last July. Still good though, and since I didn't remember it until after I am still writing it down.

NOTES:
This recipe calls for lots of ingredients but most of them I have on hand at any given time (in the summer at least). I replaced walnuts with pecans as that's what I have right now, and roasted them on the stovetop instead of in the oven. I accidentally burned them but the crispy smoky flavor added more to the salad I thought. I used mini cucumbers instead of Persian and still used 3 minis along with about 10 radishes. I didn't have any tarragon but bought the other herbs.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. As delicious as last time - I only rate it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the many herb ingredients that I don't usually have on hand. If I had an herb garden I'd make this every day in the summer!

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018648-herb-and-radish-salad-with-feta-and-walnuts

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 bunches small radishes, trimmed (about 15 radishes)
• 3 Persian cucumbers, ends trimmed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 ounces sheep’s milk feta cheese, crumbled (preferably French feta)
• ½ cup chives cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 bunch)
• 1 cup loosely packed dill fronds, stems removed (about 1 large bunch)
• ½ cup loosely packed mint leaves (about 1 small bunch)
• 2 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool, then chop roughly. Place in a sieve and shake away loose skin and crumbs. Set chopped nuts aside.
2. Use a sharp knife or mandoline to slice the radishes and cucumbers into thin coins roughly 1/8-inch thick. Place in a medium bowl. Add walnuts.
3. In a small glass or jar, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil to make the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Just before serving, season radishes, cucumbers and walnuts with a pinch of salt and dress lightly with 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Toss well to combine. Add crumbled cheese and toss gently to combine without breaking the cheese down too much. Arrange in a loose mound in a shallow serving bowl (or on a platter).
5. Place herbs in the mixing bowl, season with a pinch of salt, and dress very lightly with about 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Toss to combine, then pile the herb salad atop the radishes and cucumbers. Serve immediately.

2018 RECIPE TWENTY SIX: Wednesday July 4 - popcorn with nutritional yeast

BACK STORY:
Ellen Reid recommended nutritional yeast on popcorn. So I tried it.

NOTES:
I had never tried this before, focusing usually on putting cheese on my popcorn. This does add a buttery, cheesy flavor, and tastes pretty good. I do use a small bit of butter to adhere the yeast to the popcorn, which I don't usually do when I eat it with cheese.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy and I've got the yeast now. I won't make it every time but it is easy and good.

RECIPE:

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-butter-free-popcorn-nooch-popcorn/

2018 RECIPE TWENTY FIVE: Monday July 9 - beet strawberry salad with balsamic honey mustard

BACK STORY:
I had some old beets and needed to cook them fast. This was the perfect salad to fit other ingredients in my refrigerator.

NOTES:
This is an incredibly easy salad if you have already cooked beets on hand. The beets and strawberries mingle nicely, and adding the greens and a sharp salty cheese rounds out all the flavors. It's delicious and easy to eat lots of it.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy if you have the ingredients and very tasty.

RECIPE:
https://livesimply.me/2014/03/25/beet-strawberry-salad-with-balsamic-mustard-dressing-recipe/

2018 RECIPE TWENTY FOUR: Saturday June 23: grilled eggplant with caponata salad

BACK STORY:
When visiting Lindsay and Rich, they had 2 eggplants ripen in the garden and we were looking for a recipe to cook with them. I found this online from Smitten Kitchen.

NOTES:
The eggplants were small and long so we sliced them lengthwise but they still didn't cook very well, becoming chewy after cooking (and then cooling down as it took us a while to eat them). The preparation was fairly easy but the out come was poor.

STARS: 
2 out of 5. Not that great but with room for improvement.

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/grilled-eggplant-with-caponata-salsa/

2018 RECIPE TWENTY THREE: Monday June 11 - cucumber and avocado salad

BACK STORY:
Anna recommended this, after seeing it on the Smitten Kitchen Instagram.


NOTES:
This is basically the best salad in the universe. I will eat it every day. Mini cucumbers are the best for the salad - I do a ratio of two mini cukes to one avocado. I used greek yogurt and a scooge of sriracha along with the lime for the dressing. I will literally eat it every day.


STARS: 
5 out of 5. I would give more stars if I had them.


RECIPE:

https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/04/obsessively-good-avocado-cucumber-salad/

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

3/4 to 1 pound seedless cucumber, washed and chopped into chunks
2 thin or 1 regular scallions, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons mayonaise
Juice of half a lime, plus more to taste
Salt and hot sauce (we used Sriracha) to taste
Chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Combine cucumber, scallions and avocado in a bowl. Whisk together mayo, lime and seasonings, adjusting levels to taste. Drizzle salad with dressing and garnish with cilantro or parsley. Repeat again tomorrow.

2018 RECIPE TWENTY TWO: Sunday June 9 - cauliflower and israeli cous cous

BACK STORY:
I wanted to make this for Emily and Colby when I visited baby Madeline. It's a simpler version of my favorite israeli cous cous curry salad.


NOTES:
I didn't actually eat it. But they said it was good! I'll have to try again.


STARS: 
Unknown, as I didn't eat it. But it was easy to make.


RECIPE:

https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-warm-cauliflower-israeli-couscous-salad/

2018 RECIPE TWENTY ONE: Thursday June 7 - banana ice cream

BACK STORY:
Carrie recommended this from the Mark Bittman cookbook. It's basically just bananas.

NOTES:
I had a bunch of frozen bananas and it's too hot to cook them as banana bread so I decided to try this. It didn't blend very well so I added some creamer (as I didn't have any other fatty dairy products). It still tastes very banana-y but was a good summer treat.

STARS: 
2 out of 5. Tasty but not that great to make over and over again, unless you love banana flavored things (which I don't)


RECIPE:
https://blog.thatcleanlife.com/one-ingredient-banana-ice-cream/

2018 RECIPE TWENTY: Wednesday May 30 - asparagus and pea salad with warm feta

BACK STORY:
It's been 90+ degrees the last few days so I was looking for some new salad options.

NOTES:
This salad required a bit more preparation than I realized, with cooking the asparagus and heating the feta. I used the toaster oven for the feta and the warm gooeyiness is totally worth it. The asparagus was maybe a bit overcooked, I did two bunches for about 5 minutes each and could shave a minute off of each group. I also coarse chopped the snap peas and radishes, and used a bit of lemon zest (definitely not 1 Tbsp though I bet that would be delicious). The entire thing was warm and gooey, not the perfect cold summer salad but a really good attempt.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Will definitely make again as a potluck salad - I think it will be even better cold/room temperature.

RECIPE:
https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a19041669/asparagus-snap-pea-and-radish-salad-recipe/

NGREDIENTS

2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 tsp. grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

3 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, divided

3 tsp. pure honey, divided

1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese

8 oz. snap peas, sliced

1 bunch radishes, sliced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook asparagus, in batches, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Run batches under cold water to cool; pat dry.
2. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, 3 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons thyme, and 2 teaspoons honey in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place feta in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with remaining teaspoon oil, remaining teaspoon thyme, and remaining teaspoon honey. Season with salt and pepper. Pull the foil up around the feta to create a pouch. Bake until warmed through, 14 to 16 minutes. Drain excess liquid and crumble with two forks.
4. Toss together snap peas, radishes, cooked asparagus, and vinaigrette. Serve immediately topped with warm feta.

2018 RECIPE NINETEEN: Tuesday April 24 - kale salad with mango

BACK STORY:
As part of the clean eating challenge at work I needed to eat something with kale. And I also had a mango that was starting to go bad, so I did a quick Google search to find a way to combine them!

NOTES:
Massaging the kale made a HUGE difference and it was so fast! Half a lemon with some oil and salt, and I used my hands to squoosh the kale around in the dressing mixture. I cut up the mango and added that with some sunflower seeds and almonds (I didn't have any pepitos). I didn't add the honey as the mango is very sweet and ripe, so I just left the oil and lemon as the dressing. 

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Worth exploring more options with the massaged kale as base. So good!

RECIPE:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe-1952450

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
• Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

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Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing. 

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes. Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

2018 RECIPE EIGHTEEN: Saturday April 21 - rocca salad

BACK STORY:
We ate rocca salads almost every day in Amman, so I wanted to find a recipe I could make at home.

NOTES:
I wanted this to be a bit fuller so I added some things to the recipe. In addition to the candied walnuts and goat cheese with the arugula, I added sliced radishes and sliced tomatoes. I think you could also add cucumber or green pepper for some crunch too. The candied walnuts were a bit gummy (I used brummel and brown instead of real butter) but it was still a nice touch. I didn't have real lemon juice so I used a squirt from a bottle and also used a real lime. 

STARS: 
5 out of 5. I had nearly all the ingredients except arugula, but I will definitely make this as a side dish to bring to any party. It was so great!

RECIPE:

ROCCA SALAD

COURSE: SALAD

CUISINE: MEDITERRANEAN

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

SERVINGS: 2

CALORIES: 423 KCAL

AUTHOR: IMAN

This Rocca salad paired with creamy goat cheese and candied walnuts is so light and simple, it will brighten up any main course.

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INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups Arugula
• .5 cup Candied Walnuts
• .25 cup Goat Cheese
• 2 tsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
• .25 tsp. Black Pepper

CANDIED WALNUTS

• .5 cup Whole Walnuts
• 1 tb. Butter
• 2 tb. White Granulated Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the Arugula leaves and set aside to dry
2. Make the vingarette by mixing the freshly squeezed lemon juice with the olive oil and black pepper. 
3. Crumble the goat cheese into little chunks.

   Combine the Arugula, walnuts and goat cheese and top with the vinaigrette.
4. Serve immediately. This salad is best eaten on the same day.

CANDIED WALNUTS

1. In a non-stick pan, combine walnuts, butter and sugar. Toss together until the butter has fully melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Empty the walnuts on to parchment paper and separate them so they don’t stick together once they dry. 
2. Roughly chop 1/2 cup of candied walnuts.

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Steps

1 DONE	Wash the Arugula leaves and set aside to dry.
2 DONE	Make the vingarette by mixing the freshly squeezed lemon juice with the olive oil and black pepper.
3 DONE	CANDIED WALNUTS In a non-stick pan, combine walnuts, butter and sugar. Toss together until the butter has fully melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Empty the walnuts on to parchment paper and separate them so they don’t stick together once they dry.
4 DONE	Roughly chop 1/2 cup of candied walnuts.
5 DONE	MIX THE INGREDIENTS Crumble the goat cheese into little chunks. Combine the Arugula, walnuts and goat cheese and top with the vinaigrette.
6 DONE	Serve immediately. This salad is best eaten on the same day.